Home
by Sonic Sunshine
Summary: I'm sure we'll meet each other again.


The Kingdom of Joliant is one of the happiest places on Lunatea, yet the air felt somber.

Lolo smiled politely and thanked everyone that she met regardless. Not many priestesses came to the Kingdom of Joy. They viewed it as a sinful place where even the most devout could fall prey to temptation. Lolo saw things differently. Once away from the light and noise of the amusement park she could clearly see the beauty of the jungle resort that surrounded it. When she saw the first glimmer of sun through the jungle canopy and those breathtaking falls she knew why two of the kindest Lunateans she had ever met came to call this place their home.

Her coordination had gotten better over the years. She only slipped twice on the beaten dirt path leading up to the tiny cottage that overlooked the Jungle Slider. She looked downriver admirably as she caught her breathe in front of the door. Though the Temple in La-Rooska is the tallest building in the world she could not see much of the country below due to the clouds. It has been years since she was last able to see Lunatea's beauty up close.

She didn't notice the door crack. " Lolo. "

The Priestess flinched. His voice ... her spirits sank when she heard his voice. It was so soft. So weak. So _defeated_. She caught his eyes but had to look away just as quick. That usual optimistic light in his eyes was completely gone. Extinguished.

" Hello, Klonoa. " She whispered in greeting, her own voice only a tick higher.

" I brought you some sandwiches. "

* * *

Klonoa ate two of the sandwiches before his fatigue finally caught up with him. He had not slept in eight days, eaten in five days, or had any water to drink in two. The bread did not sit well. " Water. " He croaked the word out. Then a formality. " _Turappa_."

The Priestess stepped around him and headed for the kitchen.

Klonoa had not gone into the kitchen in nine days. Lolo could see that as soon as she stepped inside. The odor she picked up from the door came from the still-open refrigerator. Judging by the scent some meat had turned. She stepped over the items scattered across the floor and closed the refrigerator door to block out the worst of it. The rest came from the food sitting out on the stove and the counter. A moldy looking bowl of what appeared to be pancake batter. Some half cooked sausages in a pan on the stove. A carton of eggs still on the counter.

 _No wonder he didn't want to come in here._

Lolo couldn't leave things like this, but she knew that she couldn't an extended period to clean it either. She counted to sixty inwardly as she dumped the expired food in the bins and took water to the pans and bowls. This was her honest attempt to restore some sense of normalcy in the house. To stop her dear friend from being reminded of what had transpired.

… but how could she? Everywhere in this kitchen, in this house, was a reminder. The kitchen was not just the heart of their home but the place where so many happy memories had been formed. According to Klonoa that was where it had all began. Not with a glance or a touch or anything the least bit romantic, but instead with a hamburger steak so tender that he, in his own words, " thought he had died and gone to Heaven ". A last minute meal lead to packed lunches, then dinner dates, and finally an open invitation to " pool their resources ".

Their " resources " had been pooled all over this house. No one place seemed to belong to one or the other. They had come to the agreement to share everything. Coffee cups with their insignia side by side in the cabinet. Two chairs facing each other at the bistro by the window. Even hooks for two aprons and oven mitts by the entrance. The light blue frilled apron with the matching mitts was Klonoa's. She knew that from his days in Breezegale. The apron that was supposed to be on the hook beside it was missing.

 _Gone_ , actually.

Lolo emerged from the kitchen to give her friend the glass filled with water, then moved to sit in the armchair beside his. Klonoa made a noise just as she went to sit. Something animalistic between a plea and a warning.

 _Not there._ Understood.

Lolo moved to the armchair on the far side of his. She did not realize how tired she'd been until she finally collapsed in that chair. Her whole body ached. Fortunately, she had plenty of water on the hike up and did not feel an immediate need to go back into the kitchen for a drink.

Instead, she took half of a sandwich. " Pango's very worried. "

" I know. " Klonoa's glass had been emptied.

Lolo did not like to begin with nagging. Nagging was what one did with small children or teenagers that didn't know any better. Not with adults who were Heroes and saved the world several times over. Still, perhaps if she nagged a little more she could have prevented - **no**. She pushed that thought from her mind as soon as it manifested.

Instead, she pressed. " Can you respond to just one of his messages, please? " On her insistence Pango had dialed back on his correspondence. He'd only sent thirty two messages in nine days.

Klonoa nodded weakly. And then came the silence.

What he said next was not what she expected. " ... I'm starting to feel it, Lolo. "

No further context was needed between them. " A-are you sure? "

" It's like I am here but not really here. " Lolo had never heard him sound so weak. So helpless. " It feels like I'm floating. Fading, maybe. "

" Like waking up from a dream? "

Their eyes met, but the newly reawakened Dream Traveler could not find it in him to reply. He did not need to say anything. Lolo could see everything she needed in his eyes. The pain of his loss, the fear over what was to happen, and overwhelming sorrow in knowing that the Hunter was not the only thing he was going to lose. He was going to lose _everything_. His once vibrant yellow eyes were dulled pieces of amber that told the tale of a soul who had lost one too many.

Klonoa looked completely broken.

" I was so sure, this time. " The Dream Traveler didn't know he was crying until he blinked back fresh tears. " I've been here so long, you know. Over ten years! I thought I had finally found it. This place where I belonged. Where all of my friends were safe and all of my dreams had come true. "

His eyes were burning. " I ... wanted to stay here. I wanted this to be my home. "

Lolo was not proud. She had been correct in her assumptions, and it terrified her. Ever since that day four years ago she had hoped and prayed that she was wrong. That this world was not just one of hundreds created by dreamers who lived in another world. Or that Klonoa wasn't the fabled Dream Traveler who came to worlds such as this to help one person in particular. Or that maybe, just maybe, now that said person was no longer here their whole world would be ending.

Nine days ago the person who tethered the Dream Traveler to this world passed away. Guntz didn't die in battle or from an accident on a mission like many suspected he would. He collapsed midway through preparing breakfast on a Sunday morning. Coincidentally, from a gnawing illness caused by prolonged exposure to a certain poison. Guntz thought that the Hero Medal that protected him that day in Volk also neutralized poison. In truth, it only slowed its progression. Though emergency responders were able to get Guntz to Jugkettle medical there was little they could do but make him comfortable.

Ten years to the day of Janga's death he had claimed his last victim.

Klonoa went home immediately. He did not attend the public memorial service or the private funeral with their closest friends. He did not answer the door. He did not return messages. He simply wanted to be left alone to deal with his grief, or so his other friends thought. And why wouldn't they? Klonoa had just lost the his best friend and companion.

Lolo knew better. It was not just the Hunter's death that sent Klonoa into a downward spiral. Klonoa's dormant powers as the Dream Traveler had been reawakened. She studied him, with his permission, long enough to have built a theory about the nature of his abilities.

Klonoa was drawn into the Dream Worlds; the Phantomiles, of people experiencing a crisis in their core convictions. He had helped her, or rather a version of her, overcome a crisis of faith a long time ago in another Phantomile. Then he came to this Phantomile to help Guntz overcome a world of troubles surrounding his conviction to be a protector to the weak and innocent. Klonoa anchored him and always managed to steer him back in the right direction when he strayed. He stayed because the Hunter was in near-constant need of his support. Now that Guntz was gone there was no reason for Klonoa to continue staying in this Phantomile.

That was how she could tell him with certainty. " Your home is where you are needed, Klonoa. "

It was not what he wanted to hear nor was it what she wanted to say. Lolo wanted to throw her arms around him and tell him that everything would be all right, that she had been wrong about everything, that he was not going to leave, and that this world was not going to vanish.

Lolo had been just a second too late to catch the glass as it fell out of his feeble hands.

It hit the ground at their feet and shattered.

* * *

For the first time in nine days, Klonoa slept.

Though Lolo was tempted to move him aside and find out just where in the kitchen _that_ smell was coming from she would keep her promise. She was going to sit with him in that plush chair and keep holding him as he caught up on some much needed rest. The priestess had stroked his back to soothe him earlier and now held that arm around his waist. The other took his hand and waited patiently. Her years as a Priestess had conditioned her to have an incredible amount of patience. She often held the hands of worshippers as they prayed, as they confessed, and as they let go of their physical form and went to the next plane of existence. She assured herself that Klonoa was not dying as she watched the afternoon sun sink into the mountains and illuminate the sky with a beautiful orange light. He was just going where he was needed.

Whether that would be minutes or days from now was anyone's guess. Lolo theorized that Klonoa had been in this Phantomile so long that it would take more time than usual to disconnect himself from it and wake up. Still, she wondered how time in this world related to how time passed in the waking world. Her hypothesis was that time moved much faster in the Dream Worlds. Ten years in this world may have been only ten hours there. Or even ten minutes. Klonoa as the Dream Traveler may travel through the Phantomiles of many people on a single night's sleep. This had been the longest that he has been in any one person's Dream World in particular.

A few minutes after sunset Klonoa's eyes flickered open. " Hm? " For a moment The Dream Traveler seemed to be refreshed. Then their eyes met, and Lolo could see that he was trying to hide his disappointment. " ... how long was I out? "

" Four hours. " The Priestess opened her arms so he can wiggle out of them. " Did you dream? "

Klonoa nodded as he stood to stretch. " I couldn't find him, though. "

* * *

Everybody has their faults. He always said that.

Lolo overcame most of her characteristic clumsiness through years of physical therapy and spiritual training. No longer was she the girl who always skinned her knees, dropped things, or tripped seemingly at random. There were still some relics and books that the other priestesses at the Temple were reluctant to let her use, but she prided herself in no longer being a walking disaster waiting to happen.

Except in when it came to household domestics. That was usually a disaster waiting to happen.

Klonoa jerked from his sleep when he smelled smoke. " Lolo? LOLO! " It took him less than three seconds to appear in the doorway. " Get back! "

The priestess took two timid steps back from the blazing inferno in front of her. The stove, oven, and curtains behind had all gone up in flames.

Klonoa seemed to emit an assertive energy as he brought his hands in front of him to clap. When they connected a strong burst of air shot out to blow out the flames in a single blow. A flick of the wrist brought forth a cross-breeze to ensure that the fire was extinguished completely. Lolo heard that Klonoa mastered his natural element but was stunned at how casually he was able to control a force of nature. He didn't even need the Wind Ring to channel his energy anymore.

" Are you okay? " He asked, as if he'd done nothing.

Lolo nodded with flattened ears. " I was just trying to make dinner ... "

The Dream Traveler offered her a half-hearted smile. He sounded more cheerful than earlier but she can tell his heart was still not in it. " You really don't have to do that. " He assured her before looking around and taking notice of her other work.

Lolo cleaned the kitchen completely before her cooking mishap. Once they replaced the burnt curtains and scrubbed the scorch marks from the wall the place could pass for pristine. " Or this. I didn't ask you to come up here to take care of me, you know. "

Sensing a shift in his tone and the conversation she folded her arms in front of her. " Then why did you want to speak with me in particular? " Lolo knew they were close, closer than close at one time, but did not think that she would be his first choice even now that Guntz was gone. She thought he would have went to Pango, Chipple, or Karal to talk. They were closer and had experienced their own personal losses over the years.

" You and Guntz were the only ones who knew about _this_. " Klonoa explained. " I never told anyone else because - because I didn't believe it. I still don't want to believe it. Not when everything was so _perfect_. "

The last thing she wanted to do was twist the knife, but her curiosity got the best of her. " What did he think when you told him? "

" That it was a dumb reason to have a fight. " Klonoa started with a smile forming.

Now Lolo remembered. Two years ago when they last met for their annual catch-up she presented her theory to Klonoa and correctly asserted that this was not his world of origin. That was the second time she they ever had an argument. Though Klonoa apologized by Messenger a few days later he still expressed doubt over her hypothesis.

" He said there was no point in worrying over things that were beyond our control. " Then his smile softened. " He said that he knew that ... one day ... the dream would end regardless. The idea that we would be separated again was not speculation, but fact. It would happen, but, we were also destined to meet each other again. In this world or the next. So long as we both existed we would find a way to make it happen. And not just us, but everyone, and then we can continue on like we are now. "

The priestess bit her lip to stop herself from speaking immediately. _He knew, even then!_ , she thought bitterly as she took in his words. Last year Guntz came for the annual meeting instead of Klonoa. The younger Hero broke his ankle on their last assignment and was unable to make it up the stairs of the Temple. That year they did not talk about current events or their past adventures. The focus quickly shifted to the Hunter's failing health. Lolo had noticed him acting strangely in the year prior but was too angry at Klonoa to ask him about it.

Guntz confided with her; feeling confident that she would not tell anyone else due to her nature as a priestess. He told her that he was ill and that the doctors had no idea what was wrong with him. Without a breakthrough they gave him just six to eight more months. The Hunter wasn't looking for a miracle. He asked her to perform the rites and be there for Klonoa. Lolo kept her promise as a priestess and did not tell anyone. Her honesty cost the Hunter his life - **no**. This was not her fault.

She swallowed to dispel that awfully heavy feeling. " You wanted to speak to me because you thought I'd understand? " To shift the topic she reiterated her earlier question.

" Actually, " Klonoa started with a familiar tone. The sing-songy voice that he had before he did something he shouldn't. " I need your help to take care of a few things. "

* * *

Lolo gasped as she stepped into the 'Adventure Room'. Klonoa had been locked in his house for eight days, but those days seemed to be very productive.

The third bedroom of the cottage was converted into a place for the Hero Duo to store their supplies, weapons, and reference materials. On the prior visits Guntz made sure that this room was in pristine condition. He spent an hour every morning in this room cleaning and tuning their weapons. Today papers were skew across the floor and every drawer and cabinet had been opened. All activity that seemed to lead up to what was on the board in the back of the room. An old wrinkled map of Lunatea marked up with a thick marker.

Guntz would have been livid.

Klonoa kicked some of the papers out of the way so Lolo could make it to the map without slipping. " I might not know how much time I have left, but I know how I'm going to use it. "

The Dream Traveler placed his index finger over Joliant and made his way around the paper as he explained. " I'm going to help as many people as I can on my way to say goodbye to everyone. " To Volk to see Popka. To Mira Mira to visit Emperor Julius and The Hunter's Memorial. To La-Rooska to visit her and her knight, Chipple. To Jugkettle to see Karal and Suiryu the Elder. Across the Sea of Tears to Hyuponia to visit the Amir, Leorina, and the rest of the Royal Family. Then back to Breezegale to visit Pango and his children. The tour with all its stops would take about three months.

He laid his hand over Breezegale fondly. " Once I leave Joliant I'm not coming back. " Klonoa determined that, Goddess willing, the place where it all started would be the place where it ended. " So, I want to donate our assets and share of the amusement park to the Temple of Claire. "

The priestess cupped her hands over her mouth to keep the squeak from coming out. Guntz started to shift his focus to business following their adventure on the Moon. Though they still made money on their adventures that paled in comparison to owning a controlling share of Joliant Fun Park and factories in Volk and Hyuponia. Estimates put the Hero Duo's net worth somewhere in the 700 million Stone range. " _T-turappa._ " She choked out those words behind tears. Ever since its foundation The Church of Claire been running on faith and razor thin margins. This gift may actually help them rebuild, grow, and actually expand.

Klonoa turned to his friend and gave her a hug. " _Rekobaniou_ , Lolo. "

Lolo returned the hug in full understanding as to why he would give such a gift.

It was hope. The hope that they would continue to live even after he were gone.

* * *

Those next few days felt surreal to Lolo. In the days where she lacked direction or ambition she thought that this was the direction their lives were destined to take. The people back in Breezegale were so excited when they started dating soon after returning from the Moon. Her knight had come to save her and now they were going to live happily ever after.

That didn't happen.

The reality of their situation had caught up with them. The Knights of Claire had been resurrected and security tightened around the Temple. Klonoa was one of the first to be approached and offered the opportunity to be her knight, but such a position came with a certain level of responsibility. Or _restriction_ as it would come to be known in later 'discussions'. Klonoa's desire to help people and explore the world meant that he could not settle down in La-Rooska with her, and she was prohibited from traveling with him outside of emergencies while still practicing her faith. It had become clear that their different paths in life made them incompatible.

Lolo knew that it was not meant to be though it was not from a lack of effort on Klonoa's part. Klonoa was the type of person who loved to please others. He managed to be unfailingly kind and devoted to her over the course of their year-long relationship. There were moments where she naively thought that it could actually work. That Klonoa would give up that dangerous life of adventuring and leave Heroics to the young and still-foolish.

Yet, she could sense that he was hiding an awful truth just below the surface. He cared about her. Her cared about _all_ of his friends, but he clearly did not love her. Not in that way. Klonoa thought that he was being nice by keeping up the facade and doing what people expected him to do. She took the initiative and sat down with him to have an honest conversation about what _they_ wanted. It took only two minutes for her to coax an honest answer out of him. That ... he had fallen in love with someone else over the course of his journey to save her.

And now she was living in the home that they built.

Lolo slept in the guest bedroom as she did every time she came to visit. Klonoa spent the first two nights on the couch with the bedding that she got for him the first time he went to sleep. On the third he was well enough to sleep in his own bed in the main bedroom.

His recovery was steady over the next few days. Together, they sorted through the Hunter's remaining assets and decides which to keep and which to sell to generate money for the Church. Most of the items including the cottage would be sold so repairs can be made to the Temple. There were still corridors damaged from Joka's rampage a decade ago. Their stake in Joliant and a few of the factories would be kept to generate a steady stream of revenue. Klonoa decided that he didn't need any more than 200,000 Stones for his journey, most of which would be given to the friends that he went to visit. The rest would be signed over to the Church immediately.

On the fifth day Klonoa's infamous appetite finally returned. On his suggestion they ventured down to the amusement park side of the Kingdom to enjoy a meal together. That was a mistake.

Though the two tried to be discreet there was no hiding from people. Shortly after placing their order at Klonoa's favorite sit down a stream of reporters, journalists, and well-wishers started to floor the cafe. The Hero Duo had been infamous for their avoidance of the press. Guntz was able to shield Klonoa from the bulk of the press in the past. He could shoot a microphone right out of a reporter's hand from a hundred yards. Now that he was gone Klonoa looked like a deer in headlights as a half dozen microphones were shoved in his general direction.

Was it true that Janga caused Guntz's death?

Does that mean that Janga is still alive?

Are you on a date?

Are you planning to remarry?

Are you marrying _her_?

" _**MANYA!**_ " Lolo shouted at the mob with volume she did not know she still possessed. " How could you treat one of Lunatea's greatest Heroes this way? Can't you see that he's hurting!? "

The crowd seemed to be momentarily stunned by this turn of events. Lolo herself seemed surprised by her intensity, but she did not back down. " One day he will speak to you and answer your questions. Today will **not** be that day. If you are not here for lunch then you need to leave. Now. "

Only one reporter took her up on the suggestion to stay for lunch. Two others stayed, but seemed more interested in devising tactics to take their pictures than actually eating.

Klonoa looked up to her with a small, appreciative, smile.

* * *

After their meal they returned to the cottage for the final time. Originally they planned to spend one more night in the cottage and leave tomorrow afternoon. The incident in the cafe unnerved the Dream Traveler, however, and he decided to start his journey under the cover of night. He'd cut through the forest and be out of Joliant come morning.

" Are you sure you don't want me to take you to La-Rooska? " Klonoa offered one last time.

Lolo shook her head. " Leorina's already on her way. There's a clearing not too far from here where she'll be able to land. " After stuffing the last of her belongings into her satchel she slung it over her shoulder. " Are you sure you want to take ... _that_? "

Klonoa finished loading up his own belongings. Outside of a backpack filled with essentials he only had their weapons, Medals, and the red urn with a familiar symbol from Jugkettle medical. Those were carefully packed into the saddlebags on the Red Clan. " I have his permission. " Klonoa assured her with a smile. " He asked me to take most of it and his weapons back to the Hunter's Village. " Lolo understood. The Hunter's Village was the place of his birth. Originally abandoned, the site was now restored and preserved by those indebted to the late Heroes.

With that Lolo felt a weight on her heart. One so heavy that she laid a hand over it with a frown. The finality of things started to catch up with her. Klonoa had promised to visit her one last time in La-Rooska a month into his journey, but there was no guarantee that he would make it that far. Klonoa could manage to finish his entire journey as planned or he could be gone before this conversation ended. She knew this, and knew that the chances that she would see Klonoa again in this world were dwindling.

" Oh ... " Klonoa frowned as he caught his friend trembling.

Slipping off the Red Clan he walked over and pulled her into a hug without hesitation. " Please don't cry, Lolo. I promise we'll meet again. "

 _In this world or the next._

* * *

" I never thought I'd be the last of us to die. "

The old pangolin had given up adventuring a long time ago. Shortly after the birth of his second child. Now the widower lived in Breezegale with his preteen daughter, Gantz. His son Borris, now an adult, moved to nearby Jugkettle a year or so ago. Pango may not have been an active Hero anymore but he was still deeply respected as the Elder of the Wind Village. He split his time between his duties and training the next generation of Heroes.

Lolo nodded without words. Her body was numb and her mind was reeling.

Klonoa finished his journey around the world. As planned, his last stop was Breezegale to see his old friends. He spent most of the day with Pango and Gantz talking about his adventures. After the younger pangolin went to bed Klonoa told Pango his secret. The old Hero believed him without question, and asked for him to come tomorrow to complete his final obligation. Klonoa returned to his original cottage in the village for the night. Morning came and went and by noon Pango's concern got the best of him.

Klonoa went to sleep in the bed of his childhood room and never woke up.

The Post-Mortem Examiners from Jugkettle found no logical medical reason for his death. They ultimately concluded that Klonoa died of natural causes. Specifically, that he died from stress brought up on by losing his partner.

Lolo suspected a much simpler reason. " He's not really dead. " She said with some confidence. When Klonoa passed in this world he woke up in the world that he originated from. If true, that meant that there was no much time left. " At least, I don't think so. "

Pango nodded with a smile. " Well. Let's hurry up and get this up here, then. "

Guntz requested that his ashes be released at the place where his journey to become a true Hero began. Klonoa intended to meet Pango in the morning to walk up Bell Hill together. This morning Lolo would be making that trip with Pango in his stead. She held in her hands a little light blue urn with a familiar symbol on the front. Pango carried the red urn with the Hunter's mark most of the way. Once Bell Hill was in sight he handed it to her, citing his age, and joking that he did not want to add to her burden by keeling over.

Lolo took the red urn in her right hand and shifted the blue one to her left. She held them close to her chest to ensure that she did not drop them before it was time. Somehow, she knew that the Goddess Claire would not allow her to ruin such a moment. Her confidence grew with each step until she was practically running. At the top of the Hill she could see the entire village and surrounding countryside. The distant sun and those distinctive clouds sinking into the horizon. Though a somber occasion she couldn't help but appreciate the beauty of her homeland. It reminded her of that day that seemed like an eternity ago. The day that the hand of fate took over.

 _Goddess, protect them, in this world and the next._

The priestess rooted herself and closed her eyes to perform the ritual. Lolo raised the urns to the sky as she gathered spiritual energy in her chest. That warm light coursed down her arms towards the urn that she held in each hand. The white light touched the urns and illuminated them briefly. Her energy seeped into them and she waited, patiently, for that nostalgic breeze to push at her back. The hinged lid of each urn popped open and the wind took their contents.

Lolo opened her eyes and watched in wonder as the dream and her vision faded to white.


End file.
